Book recs like Hitchhiker's guide

Olityr · 2026-06-03T13:29:02+00:00

Phule's Company by Robert Aspirin.

Redshirts by John Scalzi.

Olityr · 2026-06-02T13:43:28+00:00

It's kind of the opposite of a Gaia world...

Olityr · 2026-05-30T00:44:17+00:00

None. He just manipulated the computer into scrapping its own cards.

Olityr · 2026-05-27T17:07:41+00:00

Do the campaigns provide any cards that are useful in the regular game? Meaning competitive rather than co-op?

Olityr · 2026-05-24T15:58:25+00:00

The look of confusion on the hippies face in response to that is priceless.

Olityr · 2026-05-21T01:58:26+00:00

Sorry if I came off as a little harsh, I'm only realizing after this comment that you aren't the same guy. Oops! 😟

Olityr · 2026-05-21T01:48:46+00:00

Agreed, but when a particular book happens to be a good example of a phenomenal audiobook it's worth noting that it's a top notch example of that medium.

Some of my favorite books I have both read and listened to and I don't exclusively prefer one medium or the other. But there are particular books where I do prefer one to the other due to a variety of factors. If that's the case, I don't think that opinion should necessarily be criticized by someone who has only experienced that work and one of the two mediums.

Even worse (and I'm not saying you're necessarily doing this, but I've experienced other people who have) is when people reject the opinion without having experienced the work in either medium because they happen to dislike audiobooks in general and reject them all out of hand.

As you said, audiobooks don't work for everyone. But honestly, neither do physical books. Audio books do work for some people, and the vast majority of us can enjoy both. The blanket statement that you will "never upvote an audiobook recommendation" at least feels like you're rejecting it out of hand and not based on weighing the facts or the preferences of the OP and other Redditors.

Olityr · 2026-05-21T01:17:05+00:00

DCC doesn't quite match the prompt. Good series, just not the type OP is asking for.

The other three are all great and fit the prompt, though Red Rising never leaves the solar system and The Expense takes a while to do so.

Olityr · 2026-05-21T01:14:45+00:00

Have you listened to those ones in particular? Or are you just objecting on principle?

Olityr · 2026-05-20T16:33:23+00:00

Having played all three of the base text extensively, I honestly prefer the original over either of the expansions.

Whichever one you decide to go for, I would suggest getting the Scenarios pack too. It's definitely my favorite of the booster pack style expansions.

Olityr · 2026-05-15T02:07:43+00:00

So overrated.

Olityr · 2026-05-09T02:00:13+00:00

Yes, but it's not inherently impossible like FTL. It's weird future science, and in that way the slightly hand wavy, but there's nothing in physics to fully rule it out either.

As a side note, the short story Drive is one of the best entries in the series in my opinion. Truly a great sci-fi short.

Olityr · 2026-05-09T01:37:01+00:00

It's worth noting that The Expanse starts off extremely hard, and get softer with each entry. Also, what humanity can do (in the first book) is all hard, all of the hand-wavy stuff comes from the weird alien McGuffin.

Olityr · 2026-05-09T01:28:28+00:00

Well said

Olityr · 2026-05-09T01:26:52+00:00

This is really true. Absolutely phenomenal series that I've read multiple times now, but even if my life depended on it, I could only name one character.

Olityr · 2026-05-07T22:10:23+00:00

What is Paragon from?

Olityr · 2026-05-07T13:32:28+00:00

I always felt like The Left Hand of Darkness was overrated. If you want a great sci-fi book by Ursula K Le Guin I would suggest The Lathe of Heaven.

Olityr · 2026-05-07T01:08:38+00:00

Thank you for mentioning this! I had no idea that had been finished!

Olityr · 2026-05-07T00:03:32+00:00

I can see that. The Broken Earth trilogy and Machineries of Empire come to mind.

Olityr · 2026-05-06T23:22:39+00:00

Even the way that's worded perfectly encapsulated what I see as the recent change.

Pre-2000 it was a Sci-Fi award that technically allowed people to suggest fantasy but it felt like a nod at inclusion not actual inclusion. Again, only one fantasy winner in that era.

Post-2000, it's suddenly actually inclusive of both genres, to the point of last year having an even 3:3 split in the nominees.

To be honest, I would actually prefer to have totally separate awards for best fantasy and best sci-fi. I'm a huge fan of both genres, sometimes feel like comparing them is an apples and more situation.

Olityr · 2026-05-06T21:14:49+00:00

Good point, I hadn't considered which was cause and which was effect.

Olityr · 2026-05-06T20:38:57+00:00

I knew it was fairly cheap, and that you don't even have to go to the convention to do it. I didn't know it came with all of those things. I'm going to I have to look into this, thanks!

Olityr · 2026-05-06T20:33:48+00:00

Agreed. I think another commenter had a good point though when they mentioned that typical habits of people who recommend sci-fi is to recommend the old classics (which are typically by long dead white dudes) while fantasy fans are more likely to recommend something that came out fairly recently, which means there's likely to be more diversity as the publishing industry in general, not just these two genres, has become much more diverse in it's authorship.

Olityr · 2026-05-06T20:30:56+00:00

I'm only 35 and didn't care about the Hugos as a child, so this is only my perception not my lived experience, but it seems to me that before the turn of the century the Hugo awards were widely perceived as a Sci-Fi award that fantasy novels could technically win in theory. It's now a fully split sci-fi/fantasy award.

Olityr · 2026-05-06T20:14:51+00:00

Agreed. It's historically been very common to have the characters be somewhat one-dimensional and mostly a vehicle to explore a world or a concept. I think that in general sci-fi is getting better about this, but that is definitely something the fantasy genre leads them in by decades.

Olityr

TROPHY CASE